Vol 5 Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2: S and Starling

Part 1

Minori was at a loss in front of the wooden chest that stored her clothes

This wouldn't do, that wasn't right either She held each piece to her body to look, but her frantic heart felt

none of them would do She didn't throw the clothes aside but folded them neatly instead; this was just

Minori's style Her mental state, however, was utter exhaustion

Minori could participate in the cake-eating contest since shi+roe agreed, but her aim wasn't the free cakes

This was all for shi+roe and Log Horizon

(This one feels a bit childish, this one matches with Tohya that one is too plain I' for

working clothes!)

Minori folded the green overalls carefully

This was her private room

Having been forced to share a co her times in Hamelin, it still

seeant for her

When she joined Log Horizon, she wanted to share a room with Tohya since she didn't want to trouble the

others But shi+roe and Naotsugu said: ”The building is big so there is no need to hold back” and prepared

this private room for her

It would be rude to compare her rooh the

ere one of Minori's joys

The decorations of the rooh it was a private room

and the floors and walls wereroom; only a few

boxes, a bed, and a coffee table[3]

Since the guild acknowledged this to be her room, Minori could decorate it in anyway she wanted If she

requested it, everyone would definitely help herfor her too

But Minori was thrifty and hu expensive

Her income was quite luxurious for a mid-level player

The reason for this was her living here and going out periodically to hunt monsters The main purpose of

hunting was to train the teamwork of Minori, Tohya, Rundelhous and Isuzu Even if it was training, they

still received loot fro monsters

Animal-type monsters leave meat or skins behind and intellectual-type monsters drop equipment and

valuable ite battles These items were known collectively as

'drop iteold or used as crafting ingredients

For Log Horizon, ingredients that either Nyanta and shi+roe could use as Chef or Scribe would be stored,

the rest would be sold for money

They deposited large auild account They didn't do this because

soroup (the name the low-level members called themselves)

learned unconsciously as a way to show their appreciation

But they couldn't do that when Naotsugu and Nyanta were leading them The money was split evenly to

everyone According to Nyanta, 'Receiving the appropriate reward is how you develop professionalism

nya~' Minori understood what he meant but she was unable to accept it

It was the sa Horizon

This guild also had Nyanta the Chef

The biggest expenditure in Akiba currently was food

Utility bills consisted of laic Accommodation

expenses, either the hotel rooly cheap If one really

needed to, there were countless ruins for one to camp in

So in Akiba, the bulk of the living expenses lay in eating, so the Engel's Coefficient of the Adventurers

was miserable[4]

Most Adventurers spent half their inco in the old world

But thanks to Nyanta cooking theHorizon members could avoid the money sink for the most

part

Even if Minori and the others deposited uild account, it didn't mean that they had no

savings Minori had accumulated quite a sum of money

So there was still room for further expenditure

Furnishi+ng her room was easy but she needed to restrain herself too

This world was originally a gae variety of items Take beds for instance From

simple wooden frames to beds carved from ivory or obsidian, or a princess bed with a canopy like a

piece of art, there was a wide assortns Beds were crafted by production subclass

Carpenters, but as they increased their levels, they would continue to create higher-level and more

difficult to her price So while the same bed had different

varieties, the price ht differ by a hundred-fold

Very expensive items existed, but if you chose the cheaper variety, furniture was not really expensive

This was soame, so it could be made in 10

seconds using the gaetting materials and the

level of the craftsman Time was not an issue

Beds and wardrobes crafted using cedar or oak trees could be purchased with gold equivalent to 1 meal

But Minori only bought a feooden chests for storage, a simple but comfortable bed, a coffee table

similar to a kotatsu, a futon set and some cushi+ons

This room was very plain

Minori's nature was not suitable for splurging

And that hy Minori's dresses were all tailored, well-fitted, strong and durable, and gave a clean

and neat feeling when you walked by her in the streets It was not shabby or shameful to wear but it was

not eye-catching enough

(This won't do)

Minori placed a light blue dress onto her body but it felt too childish She felt this dressing would not

match ith shi+roe

(I need to buy better dresses)

Minori made up her mind and opened her sed to Minori

When this world was still a gahtless and could only be seen on the character's

screen Now, they had to be carried in wallets, which had become unexpectedly popular items

Minori's goal was to restore shi+roe's reputation

Instead of restoring his reputation, it washis

ie

To be honest, shi+roe's reputation was really bad in Akiba shi+roe was one of the eleven guild masters of

the Round Table Council, so he was more famous now

The Round Table Council was set up according to shi+roe's plan Those ell-informed in

Akiba knew about this The problem was not about fame, but rather why he was famous

shi+roe was a tactician-type character and everyone agreed with this After gaining the nickname 'Black

Heart Glasses', however, the schee had spread all over the city

The crucial blow seemed to be Raynesia's speech

shi+roe had looked like he was bullying Raynesia in that speech shi+roe's ie had evolved into 'A

competent but cold and merciless tactician'

This made Minori sad

shi+roe was a hero in Minori's eyes

nobody knew about the kind and gentle shi+roe Minori believed there were very few players ere

as gentle as shi+roe

Wasn't shi+roe the only one who tried to help the beginners confined by Hamelin? No one but shi+roe was

willing to step up and face the situation that everyone else ignored

shi+roe was a hero in Minori's heart

Minori was sad that so ically, this would also definitely leave a

shadow on the future operation of the guild Log Horizon was one of the uilds in Akiba and

there was no telling what daht cause

At the very least, Minori knew shi+roe was kind and gentle She liked everyone in Log Horizon and this

was now her home, so she wished to dispel any bad rumors

This festival was the chance

shi+roe had to take soe view of him

shi+roe who did planning and research work did not attend professional gatherings like the production

guild leaders He also had no chance to interact with other players like the battle guilds and go raiding

Guildand recruituild activity, at least that

hat Minori heard Even players who didn't like to interact with others would socialize without

hesitation at public events The guild masters were usually friendly and serious players

Comparatively, shi+roe didn't mind crowds but he rarely attended such activities He had been buried in

his work recently and had been staying indoors all the time

So the source of the probleh which could be solved by introducing

shi+roe to Akiba Take the cake-eating contest for example; if they won in the contest, they would be

invited to the large scale dinner party on the last night of the festival She heard Akikuro (Akiba news)

would also be present, if everything ell

Minori fantasized for a while but pulled herself back into reality

(But, but, ill be eating cake together, so it will be a problem if I dressed too plainly)

Usually, the city would not change its perception of shi+roe unless he solved a ave a

speech But Minori remained optimistic

(shi+roe-san is handsome so that is not an issue)

She conveniently forgot that this was just her personal opinion The handsoht just be the

delusion of a young girl

At this point, no one thought the truth behind Minori's feelings was a problem

No one could tell if this euardian or a faint sense of longing, or so

even more concrete

Minori herself didn't give a na in her heart

Part 2

Akatsuki are of her symptoms

She returned to her room like Minori and sat on the tatami silently like an ornament, but her heart was in

chaos

Akatsuki looked very cute sitting properly on her cushi+on Her long black and lustrous hair that flowed

behind her along with her petite body gave the iious animal [5]

No e student Her knowledge definitely won over a

unable to say she had more 'experience' made Akatsuki sad She are of

her lack of experience which made her panic even more

(Why must I feel pressure from a middle-schooler)

Akatsuki writhed(?) in depression as she hugged her knees

With her lack of experience in love and her unnecessary inferiority complex, she was unable to keep calm

in this situation Her restraint had not ie

In the end, the culprit was her height

Akatsuki sighed and recollected about the past while touching her hair fringe

Grade school was fine, she had looked her age

Next, she becarade-school girl

When she irl that still looked like a grade-school girl

When she had becoe student, she was finally irl, but she had

lost all her strength and will to joke about it

Akatsuki thought her looks were fine but she didn't have experience with love Men who approached her

and harbored a certain special interest She had no expectations to date

normally under such an environment

Someone confessed to her before

(But that is)

Akatsuki drooped her shoulders dishearteningly

The year she was accepted into college, a hborhood confessed to

her, thinking she was a irl from another zone Of course, Akatsuki rejected him, but the

ireat that she collapsed from illness; it still left an ache in her heart

Even then, it was not necessary for Akatsuki to get into a relationshi+p She was interested in boy-girl

relationshi+ps at her age, of course, but she had not yet reached the point of 'Anyone will do, I want to try

being in a relationshi+p' She also felt foolish to hold such expectations without anyone specific in mind

Akatsuki wished for a more sensible relationshi+p based on ability instead of appearance Akatsuki was

treated more like a mascot wherever she went because of her cute appearance and small stature Even her

younger sister treated her like a junior sibling at home

So she longed for a relationshi+ps of partners, co a subordinate or henchman

was fine too; she longed for a relationshi+p that acknowledged each others’ strengths and made up for each

others' weaknesses

Because no one had ever treated her this way

She was hardworking by nature and would focus tirelessly and sincerely on whatever goal she set But

her efforts did not get the proper recognition because of her cute appearance That was the reason why she

role-played as a silent assassin in Elder Tales

(But that was only until the Catastrophe)

That terrible incident e

The only good thing that happened in that hellish and confusing event wasshi+roe After shi+roe,

there was Naotsugu and Nyanta, as well as a guild she now called ho Horizon

Akatsuki made true friends for the first time in the Elder Tales that became an alternate world These

were relationshi+ps that wouldn't ridicule or spoil Akatsuki because of her height

But she was still being treated like a mascot

Her appearance was a part of her and wouldn't change in the future This could not be helped and she had

accepted it now Because she understood strength, ability could be confirht' just like

appearance

Just by sith clearly 'level' was Akatsuki's gospel

You could earn the respect of everyone siht be

s in this world, but Akatsuki thought this point was great

shi+roe gifted her an Appearance Reset Potion not long after the Catastrophe happened so she addressed

shi+roe as 'th to be recognized and illing to

take on the role of subordinate to prove herself

She would not accept any thoughts of 'I will help you for free since you are a little girl'

But shi+roe was a 'lord' greater than she had realized shi+roe was generous, tactically brilliant, had

foresight beyond her ability, and had the strong will to choose the future Akatsuki was very glad to be

'partners' with shi+roe

And if shi+roe had a weakness, it was his battle prowess

shi+roe's attack was generally too weak to end battles Akatsuki was able to assist shi+roe on this point and

shi+roe seee her pro-level performance

As a person living in themonsters to the death, but she had

learned Kendo when she was young, so this was an obstacle that she could tackle Being acknowledged

for the ability to fight as better than the shaement anywhere

She ht look like a fiercely loyal shi+nobi to others, but Akatsuki thought there was a good reason and it

part in it too

It didn't take long for her feelings to grow deeper along with her trust What instigated it, when did it start,

Akatsuki didn't know She just felt a ticklish and comfortable space in her heart when she was by shi+roe's

side

(So it started e rode the griffon?)

Her expression relaxed as she recalled the feeling of riding the griffon

The feeling of acceleration like you were in free-fall and the thrill that she felt in the strong wind Her

feelings when she clung onto shi+roe's back or stayed in his arht her immense excitement and

comfort

This e Effect, but that was not important Akatsuki felt attracted to him

She would feel happy just by staying by shi+roe's side, she was so obsessed that she was seriously

practicing hiding and walking silently

Akatsuki found it hard to express this feeling in words; it was too e to say it even in her heart

Sienders played a part in liking him

From the way Akatsuki saw it, it would be fine even if she was not aware

The 'partner' Akatsuki was searching for was someone who respected her and would accept her as a

coh she liked him, she didn't need him to reciprocate the same way More

i recently

Like the flower she was nursing in her heart, like music without sound(?), Akatsuki lived everyday filled

with happiness as long as she held on to this feeling

But Minori appeared at this moment

Akatsuki held nothing against Minori personally Minori was serious, kind, s; there

was nothing for her to pick on Akatsuki treated her like a good comrade and a cute junior Akatsuki's

depression came from her own bad luck

Or rather good luck

She got away froirl and roup of

companions who saw her as one of theood and

fortunate thing Akatsuki could feel that these companions did not dislike her This was a joyful

experience

But her love rival that appeared was a real irl and it made her wonder ere the

causes and effects that led up to this

(Woo Am I really the standard-bearer for lolis)

Akatsuki was tempted to throw her cushi+on out and use assassinate

”Now that I think about it, this is not too bad probably”

Akatsuki had an inferiority complex about her appearance She was cute, but that was the cuteness of a

mascot, not as an object of love, correct? Akatsuki was unable to wipe away her doubts That hy it

was fortunate that Minori was her love rival She was a real irl so Akatsuki wouldn't lose

in body figure But still she seeory

Akatsuki raised her head as she thought of this

Akatsuki took out a similar flyer because she was provoked and her competitive nature stirred But that

ht? She needed to be totally prepared for this

Akatsuki panicked suddenly and fidgeted distractedly on the cushi+on

Since it was a date, she would need to dress up for it right? Impossible! Akatsuki shook her head It was

really impossible in her situation, she only had clothes that were as black as ink She had some feminine

dresses for social events back on earth, but she only had dark colored costumes used by assassins in this

Elder Tales world

She had no need to i as she could perfor her

lord, shi+roe, with no problems

But it would be bad to go on a date in these clothes

(Wait, how about the setting of a shi+nobi acco her lord on a mission?)

Akatsuki nodded her head shi+roe was eating free cakes and she was tagging along officially as his

bodyguard, this setting would work Akatsuki shook her head just as she was starting to relax This setting

was too unreasonable no matter how you put it And the one who proposed this out of her competitive

nature when shi+roe was in trouble was Akatsuki herself

If she changed her stance tomorrow and said, 'Do you want to eat uard', shi+roe

would look at her with pitiful eyes shi+roe ive up on her

(Well then, I will need Henrietta's help)

Akatsuki thought about that but was reluctant to do so Even if she ignored Henrietta's doting actions, the

probleirls' fashi+on It ht be useful in other cases,

but she wouldn't stand a chance in winning against a real irl this way

In the end, it would be best to pick her own dress

Akatsuki sprang up froht of this

The gentle rain covered Akiba like a htly

There must be many fashi+onable handmade dresses she could buy in the central square

Part 3

An impetuous noisy atmosphere shrouded Akiba

The Adventurers were rushi+ng to complete the setup of their stalls for the festival, but they were not the

only ones ere busy

Just like Akatsuki and Minori, people would want to do so when there was a festival Since this

was a major event that encouild players, but all the

Adventurers living in the city were involved Wrong, even the People of the Land were also helping with

the preparations

For example, Chefs anted to cook special food that day would need to gather resources, those

organizing a banquet would need to buy ingredients or fruits With resources running low, visiting

nificant increase in Adventurers far

monsters for drop ite fashi+onable dresses just like

Akatsuki

The clearing of debris to widen the space in the city square was also ongoing in concert with the festival

preparation in Akiba, albeit less passionately The notice boards were updated with new official quests

announced by the Round Table Council everyday The guilds would want to revamp the outside of their

building to welco look, as expected of japanese culture

The specialized jobs of Carpenters and furniture craftsmen increased as well and the workshop would

continue to be lively for the next few days

The busiest group in Akiba was the Production Guild Liaison Coure was

Charasin, guildCenter

Charasin cursed and swore: 'It's like I have been cursed from everywhere' But he continued to use

telepathy to coordinate all the necessary tasks

He enjoyed chatting and had many friends, but he did not expect the telepathy calls to flood in like this

The endless enquirers bound him to the roolasses

wearing young man with nasty eyes

Adventurers revered 8th District Shopping Center as one of the 3 uilds, but the truth

was a bit different

8th District Shopping Center was not a production guild

It was a chatting guild

As seen fro When the world was still a game, some of the

players played this game in order to chat with others They still went on adventures, collected and crafted

items, but these were just topics they used for conversations, chatting was their main form of enjoyment in

this game

The period with the biggest crowd in Elder Tales was froht after dinner Many players

logged in during this time to chat leisurely with their friends

These chatty players were totally the opposite of ga raids

The guild for Center Doing business was just a

channel to talk about things, 8th District Shopping Center started trading because it was interesting to

interact with customers

Coredients to craft rare equipment, or the

production guild Oceanic Systems that was forredients,

they had a fundamental difference

The position of the guild master also differed from Rodrick of The Rodrick Firm and Michitaka of

Oceanic Systeation ofCenter,

not a ruler holding great authority Hewith the outside, but

although the members respected him, they didn't swear their fealty to him

But as the head and central figure of a chatting guild, his friend list had 980 names, barely safe from the

system limit

Charasin utilized this network to receive reports continuously

”Yes, understood! I will infor-kun”

”Hht?”

”Wrong You cannot do that The Liaison Committee must not be biased towards anyone, the position

of the stalls will be decided by drawing lots, we need to be firm about this”

Charasin changed his telepathy calls continuously as he made all sorts of notes on the paper in front of

him

There was an enor reports and application forer than in

shi+roe's room

”Yo”

”Ah, Michitaka-san”

The burlythe room was Michitaka Michitaka dropped the scrolls of documents he was

holding under his armpits on the table and looked around the room

”Hey hey hey, are you doing this alone?”

Charasin replied to Michitaka with a smile

”This is expected,of individual merchants will be interested in

doing business in a festival of this scale, I want to take part myself too”

”Aye, you are right”

Michitaka had a burning smell on him He was a Blacksmith who came directly from his workshop

Oceanic Systeuild in Akiba, but their leader see

items personally

”For my side, it is like a shared workspace with the ood items for sale, we are not

proficient in trading and bargaining I will leave this part to you, but you should enjoy this exhibition like

visiting a festival as well”

There were several types of players who focused on production in MMORPG Players similar to

Charasin who enjoyed chatting; players like Michitaka who mass produced items in the workshop and

enjoyed the ga siathered unique and rare

items

The Libra Festival was closely related to all sorts of production players

”Putting that aside, everything going well?”

”Nope, I have no clue I can't do anything about the lack of manpower”

Charasin gestured behind him with an annoyed face

There was an assortment of items stuffed into wooden boxes There were dozens of boxes and the stuff

was piled up to the ceiling These were all sample items for the participants of the Libra Festival

Charasin wanted to screen out any dangerous ite for samples, but it ended in failure The

participants submitted tons of diverse sah Even 10

people ht not be able to do it in time

”Ahah, looks like”

”Iht?”

”Impossible”

Charasin and Michitaka nodded in agreement

The burden was too heavy

”Seems like this idea has to be scrapped Can we leave it alone?”

”Guess that will have to do Heavens, tomorroill be hell on earth”

The brooding Charasin replied cheerfully It had reached such a level at this point of time, and this level

was a sign of things to co in a scale further than Charasin and

Michitaka could ever iine

Charasin and Michitaka could feel this obvious atmosphere

The guildit to sorowth

was faster than anyone could expect

Charasin as at the heart of the Libra Festival Production Guild Liaison Committee office, felt a

sense of danger the night before the festival

But at this point of time, even Charasin was unable to detect the oals

Part 4

shi+roe's battle record should be very impressive to others

For instance, he provided tactical insight to a group of players that did not foruild, the Debauchery

Tea Party, to be the fastest in the japanese server to complete the raid 'Fields of Dead Spirits' For

players ere in the know, this record was highly regarded

In famous raids like 'Rhadamanthys' Throne' or 'The Nine Great Prisons of the Heilos', being the first to

coanization end in a way

Also, well informed people knew that the series of events that led to the formation of the Round Table

Council must be credited to shi+roe's effort His actions during crucial e scale battles

made the battle record of tactician shi+roe even more splendid

But that hat outsiders saw For shi+roe himself, this was just a part of countless battles shi+roe had

experienced battles that were small in scale and pointless to recce in advance If you included all these

battles as well, he didn't think his success rate was very high

shi+roe didn't think highly of his tactician abilities

(My success rate will probably drop today too)

shi+roe had been feeling uneasy while trying to avoid attracting any attention

”Please don't daze off my lord”

”That's right shi+roe-san, it will be a pity since you are so handsome”

”Eh”

”Hht?”

”My lord is my lord, it doesn't matter if he is handsome”

But the reality was cruel

The two young girls on both sides wouldn't allow shi+roe to maintain a low profile

On his right was a bright and cheerful young girl with a slender body that was acting her age She was

Minori, a Kannagi in Log Horizon

She lookeddenian

She gave the ihter from a rich family, very suitable for Minori who liked to take care of

people Her black hair that turned dark brown in the sunlight was tied with a black lace ribbon which also

looked cute

Sitting to his left was an old friend of shi+roe A self proclaimed ninja with an uncanny sense of loyalty,

Akatsuki Akatsuki let her black hair, which looked even more lustrous today, down behind her back, but

gazed at shi+roe in her usual serious manner

Her dress was different froht purple kimono

co cat-like beauty Akatsuki suited this school-girl

style dress exceedingly well

If you asked 100 people, all of theirl; Minori was

also a girl that hter This was a double blessing

But shi+roe sandwiched in between looked troubled

He was unable to explain what happened or point out a clear reason, but he felt as though he was sitting

on pins and needles

This was the center of Akiba, a cafe set up on ahere by the invitation of